Charli xcx has created a movement following the release of her sixth studio album, “Brat.” She’s been releasing music for over a decade, but this record, and the promotional efforts surrounding it, have garnered Charli a never-before seen level of attention.
The “Brat” album cover uses a low-resolution, slightly altered version of the Arial font in a simple black with lime green as the background color (#8ACE00 hex code for those interested).
Following the album’s release in June, the now-iconic lime green color has been everywhere, along with the use of Arial fonts and the unusual spacing featured on the extended edition album cover. Songs from the record have blown up as well, with a TikTok dance already trending for “Apple” and lyrics off the album becoming common digital jargon (i.e. “so Julia” and “365 party girl”).
Following the 2023 summer of Barbie and pink, 2024 is all about Brat summer: green everything and the trashy “Brat” aesthetic. As put by Charli herself in an interview, Brat summer can be “quiet luxury” or can go “so trashy… a pack of cigs, a Bic lighter, and a strappy white top with no bra”. Brat summer is not only about enjoying the music from the album, but about the raunchy, confident, care-free lifestyle.
“Brat” has recently gotten political as well. On July 21, President Joe Biden announced he would not be seeking re-election via Instagram and additionally voiced his support for Kamala Harris, current VP, as the Democratic nominee. Following the news, Charli took to X, saying “kamala IS brat.” Harris accepted the compliment by changing the banner of the @KamalaHQ X account to match the now iconic “Brat” format. This resonates with Gen Z, allowing the “Brat” marketing campaign to potentially capitalize on the support of a younger generation, many of which are first-time voters.
The discussion of Harris being a brat has made it to the other side of the party spectrum as well. Fox News reporter Greg Gutfeld rhetorically asked, “Do you really want brats to run this country? They already do enough damage,” while fellow Fox News reporter Jessica Tarlov cut in, claiming he doesn’t “understand the essence of brat summer.”
Some say that just as soon as it came, Brat summer is on its way out. I, for one, am committed to the Brat lifestyle, with no intention of leaving. Here’s to hoping we can have a Brat fall and election cycle, as well, and let the Charli xcx pop culture reign defy seasons and political divides.
